A beautifully crafted and well-acted period piece, "Road To Perdition" isn't a film without some concerns, but clearly, it shows that director Sam Mendes certainly has not run into a case of "sophmore slump" after his debut with "American Beauty". Based on the "graphic novel" by Max Allan Collins and Richard Piers Rayner and adapted by David Self ("13 Days"), Mendes' film benefits from extraordinary cinematography by Conrad Hall, impressive production design (by Dennis Gassner), phenomenal costumes and other technical marvels. This is clearly a film where every sequence was set-up and composed with the utmost care.

The film takes place in 1931. Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) is the hit man that boss John Rooney (Paul Newman) calls upon first, and the two almost have a father/son relationship. One night, Sullivan's son Michael (Tyler Hoechlin) sneaks in his father's car as he goes on another job, as the child is curious about his father's mysterious work.

Michael witnesses his father and others kill men when a job that was just supposed to be about "having a talk" goes wrong. Rooney's son Connor, jealous of the way that Rooney sees Sullivan as a "son" and angered by what his other son witnessed, comes after Sullivan's family. After Sullivan escapes a potential threat, he comes home to find that his son is the only one remaining.

The two flee to Chicago, seeking assistance from Capone associate Frank Nitti (Stanley Tucci), but find none. While Sullivan and son hit the road to steal the mob's money to gain power, another hitman (Jude Law) has been sent after them. Eventually, he realizes that seeking revenge against Connor is something he can only do himself.

A great deal of discussion revolved around Hanks' decision to take on a darker character than he usually portrays. While I'm still unsure that Hanks was the right choice for the role, he clearly does a fine job defining the character's light and dark sides. The performance is a little more underplayed at times than I'd have liked, but it's still another fine effort from the actor. Newman's fairly brief performance is a little more powerful and certainly, it's a credit to Newman's masterful skills as an actor that he can clearly define this character so wonderfully in such a brief period. Law is enjoyable in a creepier character than he's ever found himself playing, although the character isn't developed much. Stanley Tucci is also fantastic in a small role.

The concerns that troubled me with "Perdition" in the theater don't seem as much of an issue the second time around. Although the film remains relentlessly gloomy (I can see what Mendes was going for, but having the film less subdued would have helped move the film forward and certainly would have increased the tension), the film's pace seemed to be less slow and the film less padded. I still feel a few minutes here and there (maybe 10-15 in all)could still have been deleted.

While I still wouldn't consider it along with the classics of the genre, I do find a great deal to appreciate with "Road to Perdition". The film is technically remarkable and the performances (especially Newman) are solid. Even though I'm still unsure Hanks was the exact right choice for Sullivan, he still makes it work. I still find aspects of it problematic, but "Perdition" is certainly a strong follow-up to "American Beauty".